COLUMBUS, Ohio — As he announced he would do late last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has officially issued a new health order adopting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that no longer requires individuals who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus (COVID-19) to wear masks or facial coverings.
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A statewide mask mandate in Ohio had been in effect since July 22, 2020.
In a press briefing on Monday, DeWine stressed that the new order's guidance will also reflect the CDC's guidance that masks should still be worn in healthcare settings and when traveling on public transportation (including airplanes). Additionally, businesses are still permitted to enforce the wearing of masks on their premises if they choose to do so. Additionally, masks will still be required in classrooms until the current health order expires.
While DeWine had previously announced that Ohio would drop all of its COVID-19-related health orders on June 2, the CDC issued guidance last Thursday stating that masks are no longer necessary for individuals who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus. Last week, DeWine also announced a Vax-a-Million drawing program, in which people who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus will have the ability to opt into five separate $1 million lottery drawings as an incentive to get the vaccine.
At his briefing on Monday, DeWine said that the Vax-a-Million program has already yielded promising results, including an uptick in COVID-19 vaccines being distributed.
You can read the entirety Ohio's new health order here. You can watch DeWine's full briefing in the video player below.